And the Winners of the 2018 Kuskokwim Ice Classic are In!!

We’ve been watching the river with excitement for days! On May 2nd, 2018 the tripod movement stopped the clock at 7:51 pm. There are two winners who will split the 2018 jackpot: Ben Kuntz of Bethel and Lilly Carter of Kwigillingok. Ben and Lilly both guessed the exact time of 7:51 pm.

The Ice Classic also held the Minute Madness contest this year. Participants guessed only the minute of breakup for this second jackpot. Out of the 60 tickets sold, Team Savo of Dillingham, led by William Savo, won with the minute 0:51. Team Savo earns the $10,000 jackpot. Interesting fact: Minute 51 was ALSO the winning minute last year when the clock stopped at 2:51 am!

There were two days of intense suspense for many Ice Classic fans. On Monday evening, the tripod traveled about half the distance it needed to go before stalling out. The tripod remained in the same location until Wednesday afternoon, when it traveled all but the remaining 10-15 feet. Finally at 7:51 pm, it finished its journey.

The winner of the Ice Classic is determined by the person or persons who guess the exact minute of breakup. If no one has guessed the exact minute of breakup, the next closest minute on either side of the exact minute will be the winning time. The time of breakup is determined by the minute the tripod movement causes the clock to stop. You can watch breakup occurring on the webcam time lapse here at our website.

Youth groups in the Y-K Delta benefit from the Kuskokwim Ice Classic. This year’s beneficiary groups are Delta Illusions Dance Co., Teens Acting Against Violence, Kuskokwim Learning Academy Student Government and the YK Delta Lifesavers in Bethel; Aniak Mix Six Volleyball, the Napaskiak Senior Class, the Kwigillingok Senior Class and the Native Village of Hooper Bay Youth Program. All of these groups were ticket sellers for the event.

For those of you in Bethel, join us for the annual Breakup Bash celebration at the riverfront across from First National Bank of Alaska Friday, May 4th starting at 5 p.m. We will have live music, entertainment and free hot dogs sponsored by Alaska Commercial Co. to celebrate breakup. Donlin Gold will also pass out life jackets. For those of you not in Bethel, you will miss the hot dogs but can watch Bethelites celebrating this change in season via our webcam!